Aug 29, Colombo: Sri Lanka Navy has in just two days arrested 270 Australia-bound illegal immigrants from different locations in the country.

The Navy arrested 123 persons in two multi-day trawlers today in the seas off the northern and eastern shores.

A Fast Naval Patrol Craft attached to the Northern Naval Command has intercepted one of the trawlers carrying 60 Tamils and 01 Sinhalese in the seas 8 nautical miles off Chundikulam today.

Another trawler with 62 persons onboard that included 57 Tamils, 04 Sinhalese and a Muslim was intercepted 21 nautical miles off Batticaloa by a Fast Naval Craft attached to the Eastern Naval Command.

All the arrested migrants that included 118 men and 5 women have been escorted to Point Pedro and Trincomalee harbors respectively to hand over to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of police.

The would-be asylum seekers are residents of Jaffna, PPD, Mullaitivu, Vavuniya, Batticaloa, Kilinochchi, Chilaw, Kalpitiya, Withthalaikeni, Vishwamadu, and Kurunegala.

The Navy Tuesday arrested 147 persons illegally bound for Australia in two multi-day trawlers.

One of the trawlers with 64 Tamils and 02 Sinhalese on board was intercepted 22 nautical miles off Beruwala while the other was taken into custody in the sea 20 nautical miles off Chilaw with 81 persons including 59 Tamils and 22 Sinhalese onboard.

The arrested migrants were residents of Jaffna, Mullaitivu, Trincomalee, Vavuniya, Batticaloa, Kilinochchi, Chilaw, Puttalam, Colombo, Negombo, Kurunegala and Mannar.